As part of the return match of the 1/16 finals of the Europa League, the players of Betis and Zenit will clash face to face. On whose side will the victory be in this confrontation? Our sports portal gives a forecast for this game.
Betis
The Seville team was able to win against Zenit in the first meeting with a score of 3:2. The first minutes were key. The Russian champion had a terrible start to the meeting. The Spaniards were able to score two goals quickly enough, after which the St. Petersburg team quickly recouped, but even before the break, Pellegrini's team again took advantage of the opponent's defensive error. It is important to note that Betis played in St. Petersburg without two performers – Nabil Fekir and Sergio Canales. In the upcoming match, both players will be in action. Last Sunday, the Sevilla team was able to win the most important victory for themselves over Mallorca, which allowed them to gain a foothold on the third line in the La Liga standings.
Zenit
The St. Petersburg team last week, on the one hand, disappointed, but, on the other hand, showed far from the worst match. Unfortunately, the team's defensive performance failed. Zenit made a lot of mistakes as a result of the bad actions of Rakitsky and Karavaev, which will certainly determine the participation of the players in the second leg. Both will remain on the bench. The goalkeeper of the team, Mikhail Kerzhakov, also played not the best match. It is likely that the young Daniil Odoevsky or Stanislav Kritsyuk will defend the gates of St. Petersburg in Seville, if he has time to recover by that time.
Statistics and figures:
- Betis is the favorite of the meeting;
- Betis won 4 meetings in a row;
- Zenit managed to win three times in 5 meetings;
- The first meeting of the rivals ended with a score of 3:2 in favor of Betis.
Forecast
I think that in this match Betis will be able to win over St. Petersburg again. The Sevilla team looks more motivated, as it proved earlier in St. Petersburg. Our bet will be in favor of the guests.
